LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL
The image captures the extraordinary and unprecedented moment Israeli hostage Omer Shem Tov, 22, planted a kiss on the head of an unknown Hamas soldier during his release from captivity in Gaza. Two other men were also released. All three were taken hostage while attending the Nova music festival. Omer’s grandmother Sara revealed that it wasn’t out of character for the young man. “That’s Omer. He gets on with everyone. Even Hamas…They love him even there.”
The truth is that many Israelis are against Netanyahu’s ultra orthodox right wing government. There were mass protests every week for six months before October 7. The largest sustained protests in the nations short history. Of course the horror of the attack has left many traumatized and shocked.
I watched an interview just the other day of the head of Israeli defense apologizing to the female soldiers released by Hamas. He apologized for ignoring their concerns about the sustained activity in Gaza they were monitoring months and weeks before the attack. Why were they ignored? Why was Egyptian intelligence about the impending massacre ignored? These are very important questions to ask. Even more important is demanding answers.
People of different faiths and races can live in harmony if we don’t allow the fear mongers to sow division and hate. Removing 2 million Palestinians from Gaza and continuing to build illegal settlements in the West Bank will only inflame the passions, not cool them down. Even Republicans and Democrats will have to find common ground if they want to save the Republic from rogue actors hellbent on destroying humanity and the planet.
UPDATE – 23 February: Feeling rather positive about the extraordinary hostage exchange after speaking to my local shopkeeper, Mr Osman, an elderly Muslim man, I sent the featured photo with the caption -Life is Beautiful- to my elderly Jewish neighbor, a dear friend, whom I won’t name. Her daughter converted to Islam by choice. Interesting family dynamic no doubt.
I was not trying to be provocative and was in fact being rather sincere. As a White Afrikaner, I live in a multicultural neighborhood, as opposed to life during Apartheid when all the races and cultures were forced into segregated areas. Cape Town, my home city, has large Muslim and Jewish communities, so what’s happening in Israel reverberates in the Southern tip of Africa. Keeping the peace is paramount for social cohesion. That doesn’t mean ignoring injustice, but as Mr Osman, said, we must embrace the Middle Path and avoid extremism. Wise words indeed.
So with all of this in mind, I naively thought this moment was worth celebrating amid the carnage and hopelessness. A small gesture to soothe the heart, reminding us of our shared humanity. Below is the response I received.
—Yes, I nearly threw up!!!! Those hostages are told to smile and wave and pretend like they had a good time down in the dark tunnels, in cages and chains, etc, etc, etc. How wonderful they’ve been treated by their captors, get given “goodie bags and certificates!!”…… EVIL PERSONIFIED 👿👿👿
WE have been shattered by the murders in captivity of the 2 Bibas brothers of just 9mths and 4yrs.as well as their mother. Their depravity knows no bounds!!!!!!! I don’t know when I’ve been so upset. I can’t even talk about it. They need to be wiped off the planet. There is no room for such evil monsters to roam free. I could go on and on and on and on 😭😭😭😭😭—
THEY NEED TO BE WIPED OFF THE PLANET stood out. The Israeli in the image spontaneously kissed his enemy, he wasn’t forced. You can watch the video, he actually kissed two Hamas soldiers on the head, not just one. Israel has now decided to indefinitely postpone the release of 600 Palestinians. 400 were arrested since October 7 and some of the others have been in Israeli prisons for 45 and 42 years respectively. 45 years, and then, just like that, Israel says no.
But they only did so after getting their agreed upon hostages back, not before. Of course it is a tragedy that the children died, but to claim without clear evidence that the children were murdered with bear hands is provocative, purposefully done to incite hate. It worked as can be seen from the Whats App message. Netanyahu needs any pretext he can get to prolong the war. As soon as the war stops, accountability starts, something he is trying to avoid like the plague.
Instead of embracing a rare moment of love, the only real solution to this mess, hate is chosen as the way forward. Netanyahu admitted that he discussed the removal of 2 million Palestinians from Gaza with Trump before 47 announced it to the world. It’s part of a long term strategy of ethnic cleansing. The victim has become the tyrant. NEVER AGAIN seems to be a thing of the past.
Feb 22, 2025 6:54:19 pm
